Ejector bucket for earth finishing machine

ABSTRACT

Earth finishing apparatus including a frame, supporting traction assemblies, and horizontally extending arms pivotally connecting each of the traction assemblies to the frame is provided with collecting means for collecting excess road bed material for disposition in below-grade areas. The collecting means includes a collector bucket with a hydraulically operated ejection member for ejecting material from the bucket as required.

Gutman et al. July 8, 1975 [54] EJECTOR BUCKET FOR EARTH 3,561,3352/l97l Leatherman 404/91 E 3,598,027 lO/l97l Swisher 404/90 FINISHINGMACHIN 3,633,292 l/l972 Ulrich 37/l I2 [75] Inventors: Nathan Gutman,Loudonville, N.Y.;

Dorwin R. Larsen, Oswego; Everette Primary Examiner Mervin Stein voileMorton both of Assistant ExaminerSteven Hawkins [73] Assignee:Caterpillar Tractor Co., Peoria, [IL Attorney, Agent, or FirmPhillips,Moore, [22] Filed: June 28, 1974 Werssenberger, Lemplo &. Strabala [21]Appl. No.: 483,913 ABSTRACT [52] U S Cl 404/9l 404mm Earth finishingapparatus including a frame, support [51] E61: 19/15 ing tractionassemblies, and horizontally extending arms ivotally connectin each ofthe traction assem- 5s Fleld of Search 404/76 90 91 92 96 P g h h bliesto the frame is provided with collecting means for collecting excessroad bed material for disposition in below-grade areas. The collectingmeans includes a [56] References cued collector bucket with ahydraulically operated ejection UNITED STATES PATENTS member forejecting material from the bucket as re- 2,268,0l7 l2/l94l Busick et al.280/611 uired 3,452,46l 7/1969 Hanson i 404/91 3,540,359 11/1970 Swisher198/126 9 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATEHTKHJUL 8 I975 SHEET m muw 1EJECTOR BUCKET FOR EARTH FINISHING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to earth-finishing apparatus and to toolassemblies therefor. In particular, this invention relates to anapparatus for preparing and finish ing road beds, including means forfilling below-grade depressions in the graded road bed.

Typically, road beds are prepared by apparatus equipped with cutting,spreading and trimming means for making a rough grade cut according toan established reference elevation line, spreading and rolling one ormore base layers of material over the rough grade, and then trimming thesurface of the base material to a finished grade. Many types ofapparatus for accomplishing these and related road-building operations,such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,268,017; 2,600,047;2,796,685; 2,314,888; 3,221 ,425; 3,540,359; 3,540,360; 3,633,292 and3,396,644, are known in the prior art.

Such apparatus, however, while useful for performing many facets ofroad-building operations have not solved the vexing problem ofefficiently bringing depressions in a graded bed up to grade level.Consequently, it has been necessary to employ alternate means forlevelling these depressions at grade, often requiring the relocation ofsuitable equipment from another construction site. Since theconstruction equipment utilized in such operations is conventionallycumbersome, slow-moving, and expensive, shifting from one type ofapparatus to another can result in time delays and unnecessaryexpenditures. Further, manipulating several types of constructionequipment having minimum maneuverability in a limited area tends tointerfere with the operating efficiency of the equipment involved andfrequently further delays construction.

While improved road-construction machines have been proposed, such asthat described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,448 which have substantiallyalleviated the difficulties attendant to limited function road buildingmachinery, and such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,859 whichhave provided means for accomplishing limited filling operations, suchprior art systems have not been entirely satisfactory in use.

For example, the apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,859 toSwisher et al provides means for deflecting excess base material trimmedduring a levelling operation and for conveying such excess materialacross the road bed to fill depressions therein. However, other meansare required for filling extensive depressions and for very accuratelycontrolled situations. For example, ifa depression is encountered by afinishing machine directly subsequent to an area whch has been trimmedand from which little or no excess material has been removed, it isunlikely that sufficient material would be available to fill thedepression. Thus, conventional auxiliary equipment must be resorted tofor filling such special depressions.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide road construction apparatuswhich is multifarious, and includes means for filling below-grade areasin a graded road bed. The means should be readily mounted and demountedfrom the apparatus, as required, to avoid utilization of auxiliaryequipment and expensive transportation of such equipment.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides anearth-finishing ap paratus for road bed construction which includesmeans for cutting, spreading, trimming and for collecting excessmaterial trimmed from the roadbed during grading operations. Thecollecting means comprises a bucket having ejector means for ejectingmaterial contained therein. The apparatus further includes a framesupported upon a plurality of traction assemblies, each of which ispivotally connected to the frame by means of a horizontally-extendingarm member. Preferably, the frame is provided with means for raising andlowering it with respect to the ground to facilitate mounting anddemounting of the collecting means and associated road-constructionimplements.

It is an object of the invention to provide an earthfinishing machineincluding means for filling below-grade areas in a graded roadbed.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an earth-finishingmachine including means for sequentially performing cutting, spreadingand trimming operations, and further including means for the controlledfilling of below-grade depressions in a graded road bed.

Another object of this invention is to provide an earth-finishingmachine including means for collecting excess trimmed material whichmeans are readily mountable and demountable from the machine.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an improvedearth-finishing machine which will simplify and expedite readconstruction.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of theearth-finishing machine of this invention including the collecting meansmounted thereupon;

FIG. 2 is an elevation of the earth-finishing machine of FIG. Iincluding an illustration of the mounting means for mounting thecollecting means thereupon;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the earth-finishing machine of FIG. Ishowing an elevator and conveyor assembly;

FIG. 4 is a reduced sectional view of the earthfinislring machine ofFIG. 3 taken along the line IV-IV;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partially sectioned view of the collecting meansillustrated in FIG. 2 showing details of the collector bucket andejector means;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the earth-finishing machine of FIG. I; and

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the earth-finishing machine of FIG. 3.

Detailed Description The drawings illustrate a dual-lane earth-finishingmachine generally indicated at 10. The machine includes a rectangularframe 11, four traction assemblies 12, and four horizontally extendingarms 13 each of which is pivotally attached at one end thereof to theframe 11 and at the other end thereof to one of the traction assemblies12 through a bushing assembly I4 of other means for permitting rotationof the traction assemblies about a vertical axis. The direction of thetrack assemblies may be suitably controlled by associated operatoractivated hydraulic cylinders (not shown) for steering maneuvers. Thearms 13 are secured at the desired angle to the frame 11 by means of aplurality of connecting rods l6. The machine 10 thus far described isgenerally of the type described, for example, in the above-mentionedU.S. Pat. Nos. 3,423,859 and 3,664,448, and it further includes a powersource, steering and drive means which are conventionally included inthese or other prior art devices of this type.

Preferably, leveling means such as the system utilizing a hydrauliccylinder as in US. Pat. No. 2,278,081 to Kramer, would be included.Also, means (not shown) for elevating and lowering the frame withrespect to the ground, such as hydraulic cylinders, would be disposed atthe junction of the arms 13 and the traction assemblies 12. Such anelevating means would facilitate mounting and demounting of thecollecting means and other implements as hereinafter described.

The machine l further includes collecting means generally indicated at17 comprising a collector bucket 18 provided with ahydraulically-operated ejection means 19 for ejecting material from thebucket 18 as required, conventional cutting and trimming meanscomprising a rotary cutter 21, and conventional means for spreading roadbed material comprising an auger 22. The auger 22 includes ahelically-disposed vane member 23 which reverses pitch at the midwaypoint of the auger supporting shaft 24 so that material is distributedfrom the middle of the dual-lane road bed to either side thereof.Preferably, the machine also includes an elevator 26 and a sidedischarge conveyor 27 associated with the collecting means 17 fortransporting material collected from the bucket 18 away from the trimmedroad bed for deposition into a truck or other receiving means.

As most clearly shown in FIG. 5, the collecting means 17 are mountedupon the frame 11 by means of mounting assemblies 28 including a supportbracket 29 removably securable to a hydraulic cylinder 31 secured to theframe II. Preferably, the cutter 21, the auger 22, and collecting meansI7 comprise a unitary assembly which is secured to the frame 11 by wayof the mounting means 28 which are affixed to the frame by suitablemeans. In the preferred embodiment, this unitary assembly is mountedupon the frame 11 by elevating the frame, disposing the assembly inplace thereunder, and securing the assembly in place upon the mountingmeans 28. The implements secured to the frame 11 may then be raised orlowered for free movement of the machine by activating the hydrauliccylinder 31 by means of suitable operator controlled hydraulic valving.

It is desirable that the dual lane machine illustrated be provided withfour separate collecting means 17, two of which are disposed adjacenteach side portion of the frame 11 and two of which are disposed oneither side of the central longitudinal axis of the frame such that thefour collecting means 17 are substantially evenly spaced.

The collector buckets 18 are disposed immediately rearwardly of theauger 22 and are each provided with an operator-controlled hydraulicejector cylinder 32 which selectively operates the ejection member 19.Material collected within the buckets 18 may thus be selectively ejectedby activation ofa suitable hydraulic circuit (not shown) which controlsthe cylinder 32 for material distribution via the action of the auger22. Where the machine 10 is equipped with an elevator 26 and conveyor27, excess material contained within the buckets 18 may be ejected asdesired, and the action of the auger 22 will convey this excess materialto the elevator 26 and thence to the conveyor 27 for deposition aspreviously described.

OPERATION For a typical road bed construction, the rotary cutter 21,auger 22, and collecting means 17 are mounted upon the frame 11 and themachine is driven from right to left as illustrated in FIG. 2 over thesurface of a road bed which has been previously cut to a rough grade bymeans of other construction equipment. As the machine proceeds, thefinal grade cut is made by the rotary cutter 21 and any trimmed materialis spread across the surface of the road bed by the auger 22, all in aconventional manner. However, excess trimmed material may also becollected as desired by the operator with the present invention byoperating the ejector cylinders 32 to retract the ejector members 19within the respective buckets 18 as shown in phantom in FIG. 5. Thematerial thus collected may be retained within the buckets 18 until suchtime as a below-grade area is encountered. Then, the ejector cylindersare operated to eject such material from the buckets into the desiredarea to fill to grade level or above, and the material is then leveledto grade by the cutting edge of bucket I8 in the usual fashion. Ifdesired, excess trimmed material may alternately be disposed of byemployment of the elevator 26 and conveyor 27 as previously described.

From the foregoing description it should be apparent that the inventionprovides an improved road construction system for selectively fillingbelow grade areas of the road bed in situ as desired and withoutauxiliary equipment. While the invention has been described with respectto a particular embodiment, it will be apparent that alternateembodiments and modifications are possible within the spirit of theinvention, and no limitations are intended except by the scope of theappended claims.

We claim:

I. A surface finishing machine including: frame means; a plurality ofextending arm means mounted upon said frame means; road traction meansfor selective movement of said machine mounted upon said ex tending armmeans; and collection means for collecting and selectively dispersingsurface building materials, said collection means including a bucketmember adjustably mounted upon said frame means, said bucket memberhaving a frontal opening for ingress of surface building material, andejection means for selectively ejecting said materials from said bucketmember through said frontal opening for material ingress.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said extending arm means arepivotally mounted upon said frame means for selective disposition ofsaid road traction means in a plurality of locations relative to acentral longitudinal axis of said frame means.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said collection means are adjustablymounted upon said frame means by hydraulic jack means for selectivelyvarying the distance between said collection means and said surface tobe finished.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said collection means includes fourseparate bucket member and ejection means combinations.

5. The invention of claim 3 wherein said machine further includes liftmeans for selectively raising or lowering said frame means for varyingthe distance between said frame means and said surface to be finished.

6. The invention of claim 1 wherein said machine further includes augermeans disposed in front of said bucket member in the direction offinishing machine travel for disbursing said materials across saidsurface, and further includes cutting and trimming means for removingexcess materials from said surface and for smooth trimming said surface.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein said machine further includeselevating means and conveying means for transporting said excessmaterials from said surface to a selected point of disposition.

8. The invention of claim I wherein said bucket member includes a sharpedge portion for smoothly spreading materials ejected from said openingof said bucket member by said ejecting means over said surface.

9. The invention of claim 7 wherein said collection means, said augermeans, said cutting means, said trimming means, and elevating andconveying means all comprise a unitary assembly mountable anddemountable as a unit upon said frame means and being adjustablymountable upon said frame by hydraulic jack means for selectivelyvarying the distance between said unitary assembly and said surface tobe finished.

1. A surface finishing machine including: frame means; a plurality ofextending arm means mounted upon said frame means; road traction meansfor selective movement of said machine mounted upon said extending armmeans; and collection means for collecting and selectively dispersingsurface building materials, said collection means including a bucketmember adjustably mounted upon said frame means, said bucket memberhaving a frontal opening for ingress of surface building material, andejection means for selectively ejecting said materials from said bucketmember through said frontal opening for material ingress.
 2. Theinvention of claim 1 wherein said extending arm means are pivotallymounted upon said frame means for selective disposition of said roadtraction means in a plurality of locations relative to a centrallongitudinal axis of said frame means.
 3. The invention of claim 2wherein said collection means are adjustably mounted upon said framemeans by hydraulic jack means for selectively varying the distancebetween said collection means and said surface to be finished.
 4. Theinvention of claim 3 wherein said collection means includes fourseparate bucket member and ejection means combinations.
 5. The inventionof claim 3 wherein said machine further includes lift means forselectively raising or lowering said frame means for varying thedistance between said frame means and said surface to be finished. 6.The invention of claim 1 wherein said machine further includes augermeans disposed in front of said bucket member in the direction offinishing machine travel for disbursing said materials across saidsurface, and further includes cutting and trimming means for removingexcess materials from said surface and for smooth trimming said surface.7. The invention of claim 6 wherein said machine further includeselevating means and conveying means for transporting said excessmaterials from said surface to a selected point of disposition.
 8. Theinvention of claim 1 wherein said bucket member includes a sharp edgeportion for smoothly spreading materials ejected from said opening ofsaid bucket member by said ejecting means over said surface.
 9. Theinvention of claim 7 wherein said collection means, said auger means,said cutting means, said trimming means, and elevating and conveyingmeans all comprise a unitary assembly mountable and demountable as aunit upon said frame means and being adjustably mountable upon saidframe by hydraulic jack means for selectively varying the distancebetween said unitary assembly and said surface to be finished.